Welfare of Gene Selection in Canines
Marciniak, Brooke Danielle
The selection of traits in dogs has grown more popular over the last couple hundred years. Society has selected for exaggerated morphological features in many known breeds, such as brachycephalic, giant, and toy breeds. This has led to an increased risk of negative health consequences occurring from gene selection, along with inbreeding and low diversity among gene pools and within breed populations. The aim of our study was to distribute three surveys that help us understand the degree of awareness and opinions among United States breeders, veterinarians, and the public about health traits related to morphological selection in brachycephalic breeds, toy breeds, and giant breeds. Our results show that the general public was the most willing to make improvements to breed standards and promote selection for healthier dogs of all breeds, while breeders were more aware of the listed health conditions of brachycephalic, toy, and giant breeds.